Mysterious Brown Spots on King Tut’s Tomb Are ‘Dead’

Conservators have nearly completed work at the tomb of King Tutankhamun in Egypt, and they have some good news: The wall paintings are stable, and mysterious brown spots found on the ancient artwork are not growing larger as previously feared.

First discovered in 1922 by the British Egyptologist Howard Carter, Tut’s tomb became the most famous in Egypt because of its pristine condition. Unlike many of the other royal tombs in the Valley of the Kings, near the ancient capital in Luxor, Tutankhamun’s burial chamber had evaded treasure-seeking looters for more than 3,000 years.

Tutankhamun was born around 1341 B.C., during Egypt’s New Kingdom. He ascended the throne at age 9, and died around age 18. The entrance to Tut’s tomb had been blocked by mud and rocks from flooding soon after his death. As a result, Carter found the tomb largely intact, still holding the mummy of the king in an elaborate sarcophagus. Read more.